Chapter 81: The National Teacher
Looking at the smiling young man, Chen Ping'an felt nervous, his body tense, completely involuntarily.
Back when he was locked in a life-and-death struggle with Cai Jinjian and Fu Nanhua, Chen Ping'an had actually grown calmer the closer he got to them. Even later, when he got entangled with the Moving Mountain Ape of Zhengyang Mountain and was pursued, Chen Ping'an had probably harbored a death wish from the start. Although he would feel fear afterward, during the actual fight, no matter how close to death he was, Chen Ping'an hadn't actually felt nervous—or perhaps he simply hadn't had the chance to.
The only time he remembered being intensely nervous was during his evenly matched fight with Ma Kuxuan, a boy his age from Apricot Flower Alley, at the Immortal Grave. At that time, Chen Ping'an's palms had been drenched in sweat.
Chen Ping'an's almost instinctive sharp intuition didn't seem to surprise Cui Chan in the slightest.
Since Cui Chan had dared to provoke the unfathomable Old Man Yang at Old Porcelain Mountain, it wasn't some empty bluff. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made Ruan Qiong, a military sage who had reached the eleventh level, feel wary.
He deliberately ignored the tension that the straw-sandaled boy couldn't quite hide, shifting his gaze toward the Grand Scholar's Archway, which had a storied connection to the Great Li capital. He extended a finger, his expression still warm and enthusiastic, and explained: "The Confucian 'Never Yield to Duty,' the Daoist 'Follow Nature in Silence,' the Buddhist 'Seek Nothing Outside,' the Military 'Soaring Spirit Piercing the Bull.' Four plaques, twelve characters. They contain the vast and abundant divine intent of the calligraphers, as well as a portion of the fate deliberately left here by the four sages from the Three Teachings and One School who established the rules back then. Did you see the object in Vice Minister Wu's hand? It's a special tool for making rubbings. The purpose is to peel away layers of the essence and spirit from those characters. The first rubbing will certainly be the most similar to the 'original'—similar in form and spirit. The further you go, the farther it gets from the original appearance, and naturally, the value diminishes. I think that apart from the four characters 'Seek Nothing Outside,' which can barely hold up for six rubbings, the other three plaques probably can't last more than four. Especially the military's 'Soaring Spirit Piercing the Bull'—it seems two of those characters have recently died, so after two rubbings, it'll be done."
Chen Ping'an was somewhat shocked. So there was that much nuance here. Characters weren't just arranged in books, written on Spring Festival couplets and hung on walls, or carved on tombstones to record the names of the departed.
Chen Ping'an inexplicably thought of the characters from the seals that Teacher Qi had given him, as well as the prescription from the young Daoist Lu.
Cui Chan continued: "The paper used for those rubbings is extremely precious. Each sheet is as thick as a wooden board. It's a unique treasure of the True Revelation Sect from another continent, called Wind Thunder Paper. When you write with a brush tip against this paper, it sets off gusts of wind and rumbles of thunder. His Majesty the Emperor doesn't have much in his treasury either; he usually can't bear to use it. Occasionally, he'll reward meritorious ministers with it, or at year's end, bestow it upon a specific department in the Six Ministries. So this time, the Ministry of Rites is determined to get those characters. Our promising young Lord Wu has too many concerns on his mind. He wants to grasp everything, hold everything steady. I suspect he'll run into obstacles everywhere in this small town. For others, being a prefect can destroy families, being a magistrate can ruin households, but for him, even that won't be easy."
Chen Ping'an listened as if hearing a heavenly book.
Although the young man beside him spoke with grand airs, Chen Ping'an didn't think he was talking nonsense.
The young man with the crimson mole between his eyebrows claimed he wasn't an official of Great Li, which didn't seem like a lie. But he had appeared at the blacksmith's shop back then, following Superintendent Wu Yuan, and Ruan Xiu had said he might be Lord Wu's attendant study companion. A study companion was someone who carried the book case while the young master traveled to study. But Chen Ping'an could now be certain that this handsome youth, who called himself by the nickname "Embroidered Tiger," was by no means simple. Whether in conversation, knowledge, or refined elegance, he was no worse than Chen Songfeng, the eldest legitimate grandson of Dragon Tail Prefecture, or Fu Nanhua, the young master of Old Dragon City.
In Chen Ping'an's impression, among all the people he knew, a small group stood out as special. For example, Kiln Head Old Man Yao, who was taciturn most of the year and only spoke to curse people, yet whenever Old Man Yao went into the mountains, his entire spirit would become particularly vigorous, giving one the illusion that he was even more physically robust than a young man. Then there was Old Man Yang from the Yang Family Pharmacy, who was fair—even if he had a bad relationship with someone, he wouldn't mistreat them, but if he had a good relationship, he wouldn't deliberately give extra either. And then there was Miss Ning Yao, whom he had only recently met, who carried a heroic aura. And when Ma Kuxuan from Apricot Flower Alley revealed his true face, he was full of sharpness and ferocity.
This Cui Chan, nicknamed "Embroidered Tiger," was just like that.
It was as if he was an existence even higher than the group of celestial disciples like Fu Nanhua and Cai Jinjian. Chen Ping'an even felt that even if the River-Cutting True Lord stood before him, Cui Chan's expression and gaze would be just as nonchalant.
Of course, the young man's talkativeness could only be matched by Liu Baqiao of Wind Thunder Garden.
The youth suddenly asked with a smile, "Chen Ping'an, can you take me to Song Jixin's courtyard?"
Chen Ping'an's heart tightened, and he asked casually, "But isn't the ceremony at the archway still going on?"
When the young man smiled with narrowed eyes, he looked like a harmless, handsome fox spirit. "I know you're worried I might have ill intentions. Let me tell you honestly—I'm very familiar with Song Jixin's younger brother. He's very curious about how his brother lived in this small town for more than ten years, so he asked me to go take a look in person, so I can tell him about it when I return to the capital."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Since he's Song Jixin's own brother, can't he just ask him himself?"
The youth snapped his fingers in approval. "Chen Ping'an, you're pretty smart. You found the flaw that quickly."
Chen Ping'an couldn't keep up with this guy's line of thinking.
The youth rubbed between his eyebrows helplessly. "Because of their parents, he and his brother Song Jixin, whom he's never met, have a bad relationship before even meeting. The dirty dealings in wealthy households are just as numerous as the trivial matters in Mud Vase Alley and Apricot Flower Alley. So you have to understand."
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "If I don't agree, will you cause trouble for me?"
The youth looked baffled, then pointed at his own nose, aggrieved. "Do I look like a vicious and evil person? Look at me, open your eyes wide and look carefully—do I seem like the kind of person who would kill someone's entire family over a disagreement?"
Chen Ping'an answered honestly, "You don't look like it."
The youth sucked in a cold breath. "That doesn't sound like a compliment."
He crossed his arms and snorted coldly. "If you won't take me, I'll just ask for directions myself."
Chen Ping'an asked, "You don't have a key. You can't even get into the courtyard. What are you going to see?"
A look that said "You're too young, Chen Ping'an" appeared on the youth's face. He smiled without speaking.
Chen Ping'an was all too familiar with that kind of smile. Liu Xianyang and Gu Can often wore it.
Chen Ping'an sighed. "Then I'll take you to Mud Vase Alley. But don't climb over the wall into the courtyard. I'll only take you to the door."
The youth slapped Chen Ping'an's shoulder heavily. "Why didn't you say that earlier?!"
The youth turned around and strode off, moving away from the crowded archway.
He suddenly stopped and turned his head, only to see Chen Ping'an, carrying his bamboo basket, walking on the street in the opposite direction.
Looking a bit flustered, the young man quickly jogged back.
Once they entered Mud Vase Alley, the youth looked left and right, clicking his tongue. "So this is the legendary Mud Vase Alley. Hidden dragons and crouching tigers, talents are born here! In the next hundred years, probably even Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley combined won't be able to compare, apart from Apricot Flower Alley."
When the youth spoke these mysterious words, it didn't feel at all out of place.
As they walked, the youth would occasionally hop a few times to peer over low walls into the courtyards.
Chen Ping'an brought him to Song Jixin's courtyard gate. "This is it."
The youth stood in the alley and soon spotted the Spring Festival couplet that Song Jixin had written himself. His eyes lit up, and he sighed emotionally, "So this is the house where Song Jixin and that maidservant Zhigui lived? Hmm, the calligraphy is really good. He's much more insightful than his younger brother. The more I look at it, the more I like it."
As he spoke, the youth stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and reached out to tear down the couplet.
Chen Ping'an panicked and quickly blocked the youth. "What are you doing?"
The youth looked completely innocent. "Song Jixin will never come back here in this lifetime. Leaving this couplet to be weathered by wind and sun, gradually fading away, isn't it better if I keep it and take it to the capital?"
Chen Ping'an stood firm and shook his head. "No. Before the end of the year when you replace the couplet yourself, the pasted couplets cannot be torn off. Otherwise, it may bring bad luck to the household."
The youth said, "Oh," with a look of disappointment. "So your town has this custom."
Chen Ping'an asked, "Do you want to come to my courtyard and sit for a while?"
The youth waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it. Such a small place, I doubt I could even get a cup of tea. I'm off. By the way, this alley isn't a dead end, is it? If I keep walking this way, can I get out?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "You can get out."
The youth strode away, not forgetting to raise his hand and wave it at Chen Ping'an's back.
Chen Ping'an watched the strange youth leave, then returned to his own courtyard. He saw that the locust branch at the foot of the wall was still there. He set down his bamboo basket, brought a bench out from inside the house, and sat down.
But Chen Ping'an suddenly jumped up and sprinted back into Mud Vase Alley. Sure enough, a furtive figure was running away at top speed.
Chen Ping'an went to Song Jixin's door and saw that the couplet had been stolen.
He stood there, looking at the bare walls on either side of the gate, speechless for a moment. He smiled bitterly. "What kind of person is this? So unscrupulous."
---
Chen Ping'an walked back to his own courtyard, sighing, only to find Old Man Yang sitting on that bench, puffing out thick clouds of smoke.
The old man said slowly, "Young man, why are you sighing like that? You'll leak out the little vitality you've managed to accumulate. That's especially true for someone who practices martial arts."
Chen Ping'an shuddered and said solemnly, "I'll remember that."
The old man asked, "That little girl with the surname Ning—why did she leave all of a sudden? You cost me a pouch of welcome money."
Chen Ping'an crouched beside the old man and shook his head. "I don't know either. I only know that Miss Ning has some connection to a place called Inverted Hanging Mountain."
Old Man Yang nodded and smiled. "Inverted Hanging Mountain, huh? A godforsaken, barren place. It's the border between two territories. To prevent the two sides from running wild, one of the three great disciples of the Dao Ancestor, a Grand Teacher, used the divine power of inverting heaven and earth to intimidate the foreign tribes. In the end, Inverted Hanging Mountain is just the number one mountain-character seal in the world. A very domineering technique."
The old man's words carried both sarcasm and melancholy, but Chen Ping'an naturally didn't understand the reason behind them.
Old Man Yang asked, "So you're planning to buy mountain peaks?"
Chen Ping'an never beat around the bush with this old man. He answered honestly, "I plan to buy five peaks: Treasure Register Mountain, Colorful Cloud Peak, and Immortal Herb Mountain, which are near Master Ruan's three peaks, as well as two more: Fallen Soul Mountain and True Pearl Mountain..."
The old man interrupted him, frowning. "Why would you buy Fallen Soul Mountain? Who hinted at it? Ruan Qiong? That doesn't seem right. He clearly doesn't want to get too involved with you."
Chen Ping'an asked in confusion, "Is Fallen Soul Mountain unusual?"
The old man hesitated, then blew a heavy smoke ring and nodded. "Apart from Cloak Cloud Mountain and Fragrant Fire Mountain, this Fallen Soul Mountain has the most flavor. But for now, not even the geomancers of the Great Li Imperial Observatory can see it, so the price won't be too high. You've gotten a huge bargain."
The old man's gaze sharpened, and his tone carried an intangible weight. "You still haven't told me why you bought it!"
Chen Ping'an said awkwardly, "When I was looking at the map, a bird dropping fell from above and landed right on the characters for Fallen Soul Mountain. Old Man Yao always said there are invisible spirits among the mountains and waters. I thought it was a kind of fate connection, and at the time I really didn't know which peak to buy, so I just decided on it."
Upon hearing "Old Man Yao," the old man's eyes behind the billowing smoke became somewhat complex. He nodded. "If that's the case, it's barely plausible."
Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "Master Ruan has already agreed to help me buy those five peaks. So I made a good deal?"
Old Man Yang hummed in acknowledgment and said softly, "You made a profit."
The old man seemed puzzled. Was it really because the restrictions of the Pearl Bead Cave Heaven had been lifted that Chen Ping'an's luck had turned from bad to good?
Chen Ping'an suddenly remembered something. "That young man with the mole between his eyebrows said his surname is Cui, his nickname is 'Embroidered Tiger,' and he said I could call him 'Senior Uncle.'"
Old Man Yang didn't speak.
So that was it.
Cui Chan, the National Teacher of Great Li. Although he held no official post, he was the nominal leader of all qi refiners in the Great Li dynasty. He was also said to be one of the few go masters in East Treasure Bottle Continent.
But where did this "Senior Uncle" business come from?
The old man stood up and warned, "Take good care of the four seals Teacher Qi gave you, especially the one with the character 'Stillness' on it. Hide it carefully. You don't need to be afraid of this Cui Chan, or anyone else you meet after this. But don't provoke them lightly either. Just remember one thing: after you successfully buy those five peaks, it's best to stay still and avoid action. Even if you have to tuck your tail between your legs, that won't be wrong."
Chen Ping'an thought it over carefully and nodded vigorously. "Got it!"